8th Grader's Book Report Creates Church-State Issue

Mt. Washington Middle School in Bullitt County, Kentucky is in the midst of a new church-state battle, according to today’s Louisville Courier-Journal. An 8th grade teacher had given an assignment for each student to write a book report on a book of the student’s choice. Alex Thomas wrote his report on the Bible’s Book of Acts. The teacher videotaped the students reading their reports and began broadcasting them to the school during morning announcements. However, the school's principal, Denise Allen, ended the broadcasts saying that broadcasting young Thomas' report might violate the Establishment Clause and that some of the other 8th grader's book choices might not be appropriate for younger students. However, Thomas' mother says that this violates her son's constitutional rights. She said: "I feel that Christian kids should be allowed to speak about their faith and not be ashamed." She said she has contacted the American Center for Law and Justice that says the school should have merely attached a disclaimer saying that the reports do not necessarily reflect the school's views, instead of ending the broadcasts of the reports.